


First Comes Marriage

by namewritteninsand



Category: Carry On - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-14
Updated: 2016-03-14
Packaged: 2018-05-26 18:54:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6251602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/namewritteninsand/pseuds/namewritteninsand
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Baz makes a promise that he doesn't really want to keep</p>
            </blockquote>





	First Comes Marriage

Simon 

I was always happiest when we got to go to the park down the lane. The home was damp and stifling, but I felt free on the grass. And this field, about a minute walk from my new home in Hampshire, had the most lovely grass so far. It was lush in my hands, and tickled my cheeks when I laid in it, and was as green as I had ever seen (Mrs. Jackson said it was because it never stopped raining. It wasn't raining _now,_ so I didn't quite understand her). 

Even beyond the grass, and the lack of rain, and the fact that I managed an extra serving of butter on my toast at breakfast, it was a good day. There was a boy at the park who walked right up to me. This had never happened before (I generally played alone, and was avoided by everyone. A parent once dragged their child away from me while muttering about “special needs” and “chaos”), and was definitely going on my list as the number one Event of the Week (maybe even year). 

“I’m Basilton Grimm-Pitch,” He said. 

I giggled. It was a funny name. 

“You can call me Baz.” 

“Okay,” I said, “Don't you love this grass?” 

Baz shrugged, “I suppose.” 

“You talk funny.” 

“So do you.” 

Baz had jet black hair, slicked back past his ears, and pooling grey eyes. He wasn't dressed like a child, instead wearing some sort of fancy suit. The kind of thing that adults wore on tv, but even worse. It looked horrendously uncomfortable- not something you could roll in the grass in at all. But I was jealous, all the same. 

I’d forever give up grass rolling to dress like that. 

“My father is getting married today,” Baz said. He wasn't much taller than me, but I felt like a tot. 

“Oh.” 

“I have to walk my new mother down the aisle.” 

“Is she wearing a white dress?” 

That's all I knew about weddings. All I knew about anything was from the television, or movies- every Friday night, and half an hour on Tuesday's and Thursday's. Mrs. Jackson had said that I should learn to read if I want to know more, but no one had ever taught me. And words were hard. 

“Yes. She doesn't hang the moon, though.” 

“Who does?” 

“My mom did.” 

“How?” 

“She just did. Anyways, I’m going to get married when I’m 22. Dad said that's a proper age.” 

“What if there's no one to marry?” 

“Then I’ll marry you.” 

“What?” 

Baz laughed, but I wasn't sure if it was meant as a joke or not. He was a bit confusing. 

“Okay.” 

(That word was easy. Saying “okay” made life in homes a lot more tolerable) 

“You smell like smoke.” 

“You smell like wood.” 

“You never told me your name.” 

“Simon.” 

“Alright. See you at the wedding, Simon.” 

I wanted to follow him. Baz was the most interesting thing that had happened in my eight (or so) years of life, and I was scared of him leaving. 

That night, I dreamt of suits and dances and a boy at my side. 

Baz 

I could pretend it never happened- pretend that I didn't know who he was. Of course the crucible would place us together. The chosen one. The Mage’s Heir. The goofy boy at the park the day of dad’s wedding. 

I was drawn to him that day, just as I was drawn to him now. 

Fucking Simon- _S_ _now_ , he couldn't even tell me his last name that day, incompetent as he was- was my roommate. 

Fuck him. Fuck the crucible. 

“I met you in that park.” 

I want to spell his brains apart. So he’d forget. So he’d be away from me. 

I’d been raised to be against the Mage, and now his bloody heir was standing in front of me, waiting to shake my hand so we could begin a happy, domestic life together. 

I had joked that I’d marry him. 

“Snow.” 

“You said you’d marry me if there was no one else by twenty two.” 

“You’re the Mage’s heir.” 

“Kind of a coincidence, Baz.” 

I shook his hand. It felt like fire against ice, excruciating. 

I made him promise to never tell anyone about that. Threatened, more like. 

He agreed. It was only a couple days before he regretted it. 

Simon 

It tortured both of us equally, I think. 

In first and second year, I thought of bringing it up. But after… 

He tried to feed me to a fucking chimera. I wasn't marrying that if my life depended on it (knowing my luck, it would, at some point). 

Baz 

The first time I dreamt about it, I woke up and began imagining every insult I could say to Snow, and picking which one would hurt him the most. 

I never picked one. Instead, I imagined the softness of his cheek against mine as we danced. Then I imagined throwing myself out of the tower. 

Simon 

Penny said that I would get married one day (“To me, if I must, but don't expect a kiss.”). I agreed. But not to her. And not to Baz, either. 

Agatha would do. It made sense. 

Baz 

The truce was going well, except for Snow quipping as often as he could that “It's not going to be a good marriage if you never listen to me.” 

He only did it when Bunce wasn't around. He had never even joked about it to anyone else. I was impressed. 

And turned on. Fuck me. 

Simon 

He wasn't a villain. He was just a boy. 

A boy who had promised to marry me, if need be. 

It suddenly didn't seem so insane. 

And kissing him felt so good. 

Baz 

Simon brought it up first, soon after he and Penny had moved into their new apartment. I was staying the night (because I made good on my promise to haunt their doorstep. We were both good at promises, Snow and I), and we were cuddled together in his bed (clothes on. It was still slow moving). 

“I guess we might get married, after all.” 

“Yeah,” I said, “A bit early to talk about it, though.” 

Simon nodded against my shoulder. 

It took me a few days to realize that he wasn't actually upset that I accidentally stole all the blankets that night. 

“I better do it now, while I have the chance,” He stormed, at last, when Penny phoned to ask if he could pick up some milk on his way home from my place, where he had come for dinner. 

“What?” I asked, because I was an idiot. 

“I’ll probably combust at any minute. I should do EVERYTHING while I have a chance.” 

He thought he would lose me, if he didn't marry me now. It wasn't an easy thing to convince someone out of. 

Penny never got her milk that night, because I wouldn't let Simon go. 

Simon 

They were never sure of my birthdate- even my birth year, maybe. It was all a guess. 

A lot of my life was a guess. But one thing, the most important thing, was for sure. 

And I was standing face to face to him. And I loved him, I loved him so much that it was making my head spin. 

We were in a grassy opening. 

And there was a boy, wearing a black suit that looked horrendously uncomfortable (It was. I was wearing the same one), with pooling grey eyes. 

And I was the happiest I had been.


End file.
